If you have an ace with an 8 or higher then hold your hand and don’t take a hit. By playing the ace as 11 you have 19, which is a hand you should always stand on.

If you have an ace with 7 take a hit if the dealer’s showing card is 9 or better.

If you have an ace with six or less then you should always take a bit. Even though this means you are taking a risky hit on 17 you can always bail yourself out if you bust by using the ace as a 1.

Doubling down is another situation you need to master if you want to win at Blackjack. Doubling down allows you to double you initial bet in certain circumstances. If played correctly you can offset the house advantage and that is an opportunity not to be missed! Bear in mind though that casinos have different rules as to when you can double down.

You should double down according to following rules:

If your have card values of 9 to 11 then double down. Statistically you have great chance to win because there are so many cards with a value of 10 to draw.
However, if you have a 9 then only double down if the dealer is showing a weak card of 3 to 6. This is because the dealer as likely to bust if he/she is showing any other card.
When holding a soft hand you should double down only when you can exploit a weak dealer card. The way to play an soft hand for doubling down is as follows;

If you have an ace with 8-9, just stand. This is a strong hand so don’t double down.
If you have an ace with 6.-7 then double down and take a hit if the dealer is showing a weak 3-6, and especially 4.-6.
If you have an ace with 4.-5 only double down if the dealer is holding a weak 4.-6.
If you have an ace with 2-3 then only double down if the dealer is showing a 5-6.

One of the best ways to increase your chances of winning at blackjack is by learning about basic strategy. Basic strategy is based on the mathematics of the game of blackjack. Mathematicians, statisticians and computer simulations have tested and discovered the best move in any situation in a game of blackjack, based on the player’s cards and the dealer’s up card.  Basic strategy changes slightly depending on the blackjack variation you are playing, as well as the number of decks in play. However, the strategy is still pretty much the same across the board.

Many blackjack pros are familiar with card counting as well. There are a number of card counting strategies, so try them out and find the one you feel most comfortable with. Beginning strategies for counting cards include Red Sevens, the Hi-Lo strategy, and Knock Out Blackjack. If you are up for learning more advanced strategies like the Omega II system or Wong Halves you can increase the accuracy of your count even further. Practice counting cards at home by shuffling a deck and then counting through the entire thing. If you end on 0 for balanced systems, or on the appropriate number of unbalanced systems, you know you are right on track.

The blackjack basic strategy table looks like a complete mess that you couldn’t possibly learn or memorize. If you take a closer look, however, you will see that it actually makes sense and that it is based on the two fundamental principles of blackjack strategy. The game of blackjack comes in many shapes and sizes: Classic blackjack, European blackjack, Vegas Strip blackjack, and many more. The many variations on the game make blackjack interesting and exciting.

Blackjack online is played with anywhere from one to eight decks of cards. These are standard 52-card decks; there are no jokers. The 2 through 10 cards each have a value equal to their normal face value. Face cards as jacks, queens, and kings have a value of 10. An ace can be worth either 1 or 11, whichever is more advantageous. A hand with an ace valued at 11 is called a “soft hand”; thus, a hand comprising a 2, 4, and ace is a “soft 17.” A hand with an ace valued at 1 is a “hard hand”; a hand made up of 7, 9, and ace is a “hard 17.”  Most blackjack variations — such as Classic blackjack, Atlantic City blackjack, and European blackjack — follow the rules described on this page. The differences are in the fine points of the particular blackjack game. Different blackjack games use different numbers of decks. Some blackjack games allow surrender or resplitting; others do not. Some blackjack games allow doubling down on any two cards; some only on certain combinations.

The blackjack games described above can all be called standard blackjack games, and they all follow some variation of the standard blackjack rules. But there are also some more unusual blackjack variations that have more unusual blackjack rules. In Double Exposure Blackjack, for example, both of the dealer’s cards are dealt face up. Blackjack is one of the most popular games in the online casino.

A player who decides to double down will place a second bet beside the original wager. That player may then ask for a hit (only one is permitted) or not. After all the other players have made their respective moves, the dealer turns the hole card. If the dealer gets a 17 or higher, the dealer stands. Or else, the dealer draws another card. The players win if they beat the dealer or if the dealer busts, and lose their wagers otherwise.

So when is the best time to double down? This depends on your first two cards and the dealer’s up card. It’s advisable to double the bet when the dealer’s up card is any of the four, five or six numbered cards provided that your hand is strong with minimal risk that it’ll bust when hit.

If the dealer has a four, five, or six on the up card, chances are that the dealer will total near 16 after the hole card is turned. In this case, the dealer will have to hit. Under these circumstances, there’s a high probability that the dealer will bust or go over 21.

You can grasp the blackjack essentials after a few minutes read. Basically, in blackjack casinos, cards are dealt to you by a croupier. Each card has a face value and you can’t get a bigger card total than 21, and neither can the croupier. Whoever does so, loses. More on blackjack rules in the tutorial.

As for blackjack casinos online, you have many options. Asides from the variants available in blackjack games, you can also choose to play all by yourself against the dealer, to practice in free blackjack games, to join a team of players in trying to beat the dealer or an online blackjack tournament.

The variety of blackjack casinos is enormous, and each holds special features and software for its users. Browse through our favorites to get a good pick. There are several treats to choose from in the suggested blackjack casinos – from welcome bonuses to free blackjack games online, from amazing pot prizes to free blackjack downloads – you name it.

Visit each of the recommended blackjack casinos and address their support staff any questions you may have regarding their special blackjack promotions and blackjack software.

We hope you enjoy your time playing blackjack games and point you in the direction of the best portals and websites to play blackjack online.

In blackjack, the object of the game is to get the sum of the two cards close to 21. When a person gets cards that are over 21, he or she loses the game.

Normally, a player receives two cards. After the players see their cards, they have to decide whether they would hit or stand. When a person says “stand,” this means the player thinks he or she is closer to 21 already. When a player says “hit,” this means that he or she still needs additional cards just to get close to 21.

Players can draw as many cards as they want until they feel they are close to 21 already. A player who is nearer to 21 wins.

However, there are people who have devised some tips and strategies to get an edge over the other players. There are times that these tips really can help some people win.

Here’s a list of some tips that players may choose to use them so as to win the game.

1. If a player gets 17 or higher, it is always better to stand, and if the player has any number from 13 to 16 and the dealer’s card is 6 or lower, it would be better to stand. But if the dealer has 7 or more, it would be better for a player to hit.

The theory here is that, if the dealer is showing a card of six or lower, the dealer may take a card, assuming that the dealer’s card facing down is a ten. The players, then, assume that the dealer is banking on a bust hand, so the other players have the tendency to maintain a lower card number.

The rule of thumb: players should always assume that the dealer’s down cards is 10.

2. If a player has aces or 8’s, it would be better to split them regardless of the dealer’s showing card.

3. A player should remember not to split 10’s. Chances are, they might end up getting busted.

4. If the dealer is showing 4, 5, or 6, it would be better for a player to stand on hard 12, or hit hard if the dealer is showing 2, 3, 7, or higher.

5. In order to win, players should always remember not to split fours, face cards, and fives.

An Ace can count as either 1 or 11, as demonstrated below, then the cards from 2 through 9 are valued as indicated. The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10.

The total value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. For example, a hand containing 3,8,10 has the value of 21. The Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11.

A hand that contains an Ace is called a soft total if the Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11 without the total going over 21.

This are illegal in Nevada.

Blackjack Card Counter is an online application of the Apple iPhone or iPod.

The application assigns values to high and low cards and has a stealth mode. Gamblers betting big with more high-value cards in the deck and small when the ratio favors low-value cards could take away the casino’s house edge or gain an edge.

Certainly, you need to know the correct card counting principles, but if some weakness in your game keeps you from executing your card counting skills, then they don’t do you much good.

Analyzing blackjack weaknesses can be hard to do, though. People naturally don’t enjoy analyzing themselves, and most of us prefer to avoid the brutal truths about our own limitations.

One way to do this is to practice blackjack on a blackjack tutorial program. Find blackjack software that lets you know when you’ve made an incorrect bet.

Practice with these software  and record where your game is strongest and weakest. Try to turn your blackjack weakness into a blackjack strength.

There are many sure fire ways to form a strategy with blackjack and it will all depend on the rules of the house. Some of these rules include how many decks of cards they play with. The normal is actually six decks at a time.

Just as a dealer can play multiple hands at a time, so can you. You will actually increase the odds of winning your hand against the dealer by doing this. The reasoning behind this is as more cards are laid out , the better the chances are that the aces and face cards will surface.

You will need to gauge your moves wisely as a dealer can stand on seventeen, but they will need to play out the hand if you are over seventeen and they are not. The main object is for them to win and for you only to win enough hands to keep you interested in the game so that you will not give up and leave the table.

Make sure that you are only betting with an amount that you can feasibly lose without jeopardizing your financial future, your home or the people that you love. Many people have easily become addicted to the cards and will live and breathe them. This has caused many problems with marriages, finances and even careers.

Like all games, this is also a game of chance.